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The use of social networks?

2010

I am a student in the child and youth care
program. I have some questions in regards to an assignment that I am
doing. Is it okay for email, facebook, cell phones, and other social
networks to be used by child and youth care workers to keep in contact
with a child or youth while the youth is in the program, or after they
graduate or are discharged from the program? Should these social
networks be used when a youth goes AWOL to contact youth or allow them
to contact staff? Should these types of social networks be used with
child and youth care workers who do youth outreach with youth on the
street? If you would like to give me your feedback or thoughts on this
issue, that would be great.
Thank you.
Karalee
Canada
...

Hi All,

The internet is an extension of the life space? Many young people in
care have not experienced a great deal of social interaction from
significant, supportive and honest adults. Young people should firstly
be encouraged and supported to engage in face-to-face communication?

To many adults support freedom without routine, structure and/or
boundaries for young people using the internet? I fully understand and
acknowledge making changes does not devalue all the hard work that has
been done in the past, we do need to be brave to be bold and this is so
true for the young people.

However, engaging with young people over the internet/text should never
be viewed by the corporate parent/carer as the main tool of
communication/engagement.

Aye,
Neil
...

For the residential folks, how much of this decision
really rests with us about including youth in residential care on
facebook. The people that surround the youth, like family, a social
service/care agency, therapists, etc probably need to be included in
this decision. Once you are on facebook there are opportunities for cut
and paste and saving the file if the youth is being targeted by a
predator. A youth's capacity to say "no" when they really are doing it
perhaps to please a care worker to feel connected, yet do not understand
that others, potentially from around the world, will be able to see
them, including the angry parent who perhaps wishes to contact and/or
apprehend them ... then there is the pedophile ....

As always it is complicated and with creating connectedness and
belonging comes the responsibility of ensuring safety and privacy. In
Nova Scotia the educational system has removed many if not all pictures
from their websites of school events so the students are not easily able
to be identified. Does it lose something to not see students embracing
their environment, yes... am

I comforted by the confidential anonymity, yes. Youth in residential
care come connected with many other people involved (hopefully) and they
too have a say beyond residential strategy, boundaries and intentions.
The risks exist and the context of each individual situation, as always,
is a relevant driver. It is one of those situations where a blanket
policy rarely meets with 100% approval from those effected and the
safety of a few usually wins out or there would be more autobahn
highways with no posted speed limits.

As for "after care" or "outreach" connection of any deliberate sort
without a specific mandate to do so, why would you step outside of your
professional

boundary and mandate? Once you lose access to the entire context of the
treatment plan you are likely flying blind with any intervention. An
uninformed intervention is not encouraged in treatment why would it be
ok after treatment?

Ernie Hilton
Nova Scotia Canada
...
I have a "Kid" account on Facebook. It's for any of the youth that want
to add me on to their account. I make it clear with them that if I have
to, I will share information that I find on Facebook.

I also have very limited information on this account. Very few pictures
and none of my friends or family can see it (I have blocked all friends
and family and made the account very private). I also, block all youth I
work with from seeing my other (Personal) account, and also have very
high privacy settings.

Social networks are the current tool for knowing what is going on with
our youth. I believe that we should be educated in it and use it. They
are not going away, so pretending that it is a bad thing, or harmful
site is not going to stop it. I have tracked youth down through Facebook
and told them that. I have discovered classes skipped, use of substances
etc. I inform the youth "I saw it on Facebook", however they never
delete me.

Social networks are a way for them to be connected and form a
relationship without being face to face. Sometimes this type of
relationship is easier, sometimes they share more over a email then they
ever would in person. Sometimes this is HOW to connect with a youth.

I think if you make the boundaries clear and be upfront then there
should not be an issue.

Keep Well,
Tabitha Woodall
Toronto, Ontario
...

...

Be careful with facebook. Whether you know it or not, everything written
on facebook is owned by facebook and can be used at their discretion.
Don't forget this is still cyberspace. There is no privacy and that
becomes an ethical issue.

Good luck

Susan Mosure
...

Hello,

I am working with a couple of colleagues on the use of social networking
sites with young people in care and leaving care. We are still looking
for funding regarding a substantial project but we did carry out a pilot
and came up with some interesting findings. A paper called 'in care and
online: corporate parenting in the internet age' will be out in the
Journal of Technology in Human Services.

We found that there where young people were very internet savvy and felt
that, in a life where they felt they had little control or power (due to
the controls and restraints of being in residential child care) the
internet was a place where they could not only make their own decisions
but take control over their identity and narratives.

The young people we spoke to used the sites for all sorts of reasons
including building links with family members that they had been unable
to do face to face. Young people also felt 'upset' that they had left
care and were unable to connect with staff or other young people,
particularly when this connection was not even allowed through the
medium of a social networking site.

Staff on the other hand were very unsure about how the internet and
social networking sites worked. As usual there was a culture of fear
surrounding by a rabid over-professionalisation of care that emanated
from many of the discussions with residential child care workers.

Separating my thoughts out form this research though, and being a care
leaver myself, I want to say that although I acknowledge and understand
where Alfonso is coming from, I feel that this is another example our
over-protective and litigious culture that is growing amongst those who
look after children in care. In 'professional care' a lot of focus seem
to be given to the 'professional.' We should always remember that these
are young people, human beings and are effected and respond to the
decisions we make about how we engage with them. I am not in touch with
any of the staff that looked after me as a young person in care or other
young people I grew up with and I know I'm not alone in this experience.
I hope in the moves forward in the policy and practice of looked after
child care we afford more flexibility (as well as kindness and care) in
our working practices which can only, for the majority, benefit the
young people we work with.

Best,

Zachari Duncalf
...

Hi,

I'm a manger of a residential unit in the UK and we are looking at
setting up our own social networking site. I've done a little research
and come up with this site called ning. Why don't you try setting up
your own social networking site
www.ning.com

There will always be people trying to exploit the
"weaker thans" in any context, be it online or in real life. Ignoring
the prevalence of social media in today's culture is potentially
dangerous. Whatever the technology is today, the only thing we can
really be sure of is that social media is only going to get more
pervasive and by ignoring it, limiting it, and banishing it, we aren't
equipping youth with the tools for living a safe and healthy online
life.

Being online isn't logging on to an "information superhighway" like it
used to be. The internet is an extension of the life space. For someone
who has no permanent place to call home, their profile is one place
where they can always be reached and where they show how they define
themselves. Youth Care policy makers have a lot of catching up to do in
order to figure out how we're going to deal with this dynamic reality.
To not allow (in many cases) youth access to social media we further
marginalize them and cut them off from where the real world is
happening. To not interact with youth online is ignoring the potential
of that arena.

So we really have two options: Ignore it and embrace our obsolescence or
make real changes that will revolutionize how we do youth care in a
positive way.

Evelyn Downie
...

Hi Guys, Evelyn nails it.

In a fragmented society
individuals further fragmented through their personal and care histories
can achieve a sense of identity via social networks. That process
involves the opportunity to define and redefine what they themselves
feel to be their essence. Similar functions can be achieved through role
playing experiences that also can take place online.
We as workers have much to learn and need to be, with the young person's
permission, alongside them. When we strive to understand youth in the
places where they are at we have less need to regulate and prohibit.
Kids in care experience their identities being stolen, denied etc on a
regular basis both in abusive households and the system. Arguably social
networking is an empowering space because it offers the opportunity for
identity and experience to be shared without it being mediated by
powerful and/or abusive adults.
Peace
Jeremy Millar
...

Well said Evelyn.

Given that the statistically most dangerous thing that most of us do
regularly is to travel in vehicles, it is important to mentally step
back from our reactions and concerns to assess why/how we accept certain
risks, and fear others. This is not to judge any particular
opinion, just that it is important to understand our opinions.

I have noticed that many 'at risk' children/youth are greatly lacking
computer skills. These skills are absolute necessities now for
young people to prepare themselves for education and employment options.
The social use of computers is how most young people develop the basic
skills. This can be a window to invite further skill development
through a medium which feels comfortable and familiar.

My own young adult children entered the computer world in their early
adolescence, and while I resisted for a while, I now understand that
both the safety and the usefulness of Internet access is a function of
all the rest of the development and awareness that we worked at.
Ongoing communication ....

Further, in my work with people with developmental disabilities,
learning disorders, and various mental health conditions, I have seen
that often children are able to manoeuvre on the computer even when
ability with the printed page, writing, or speech seems to be completely
or greatly lacking. As a result many students/children/youth can
be successful with the computer medium, although there is much
development of the resource still to be done. Even with direction
from the top down to implement such learning goals, there are
insufficient front line resources and professional development.

Yana Maltais
...

In reply to Evelyn Downie

I agree, how do we hinder a child/youth from their only source of
acceptance and 'connectiveness' with their peers. It is essential to
help educate teens and youth on how to use this information positively
and how to protect themselves from online predators.

Robyn
________

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